Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29775121›Full record

ArticleIntegrative cancer therapies2018

A Cohort Study to Examine the Use of Chinese Herbal Medicine in Combination With Conventional Therapies for Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma in China.

Lingling Sun, Paul Fahey, Xiaoshu Zhu, Weng Ng, Zhuo Ping Chen, Yiwen Qiu, Hezheng Lai, Jietao Lin, Lizhu Lin

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Integrative cancer therapies, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Article
  11. Oncology letters · 2019
    Article
  12. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Lingling Sun1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7033-1698
Paul Fahey2 Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6351-9876
Xiaoshu Zhu2 Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Weng Ng3 South West Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia.
Zhuo Ping Chen1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yiwen Qiu1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Hezheng Lai2 Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Jietao Lin1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Lizhu Lin1 Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine First Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine · CNCamden and Campbelltown Hospitals · AUSouth Western Sydney Local Health District · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignancies associated with high mortality rates. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) alone, or in combination with conventional therapies (CT), has been widely used for patients with HCC in China. This study aims to explore how integrative therapy (IT) through the combination of CHM and CT affects the survival of patients with intermediate-advanced HCC.

methodsA retrospective cohort study was performed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China. Data of consecutive patients diagnosed with intermediate-advanced HCC and a specific traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic pattern between January 2006 and December 2013 were retrieved from the electronic medical record system at the hospital. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on the therapies used, that is, IT, CHM alone, and CT alone, and the survival times of these patients was compared.

resultsA total of 328 patients were included in this study. Median follow-up period was 26.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] = 22.7-38.9). Median overall survival was 11.0 months for IT, 8.6 months for CHM, and 9.4 months for CT groups ( P < .001). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of death for the IT group was 0.55 (95% CI = 0.38-0.79, P = .001) relative to the CT group and 0.68 (95% CI = 0.52-0.90, P = .007) relative to the CHM group, after adjusting for the factors that impact prognosis. Stratified analysis shows that IT can significantly lower the risk of death, especially for patients with good performance status (PS) and Child-Pugh class A.

conclusionsIt was indicated that the integrative approach with combination of CHM and CT might improve survival for patients with intermediate-advanced HCC, especially for patients with good PS and Child-Pugh class A. However, a randomized controlled trial is warranted for a conclusive statement.

Indexed as

Medicine, Chinese TraditionalAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsCarcinoma, HepatocellularChinaCombined Modality TherapyDisease ProgressionDrugs, Chinese HerbalFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansIntegrative OncologyLiver NeoplasmsMaleDrugs, Chinese HerbalChinese herbal medicinecohort studyhepatocellular carcinomaintegrative therapysurvival

Identifiers

PMID29775121
PMCPMC6142107
OpenAlexW2803713451

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.